The China Hustle

Last updated
The China Hustle
The China Hustle.png
Poster
Directed byJed Rothstein
Written byJed Rothstein
Produced by Alex Gibney
Mark Cuban
Narrated by Dan David
Distributed by Magnolia Pictures
Release date
  • September 8, 2017 (2017-09-08)(Toronto International Film Festival)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The China Hustle is a 2017 finance documentary produced by Magnolia Pictures and directed by Jed Rothstein. [1] The documentary reveals systematic and formulaic decades-long securities fraud by Chinese companies listed on the US stock market.

Contents

Many of the film's protagonists such as Dan David and Jon Carnes are activist shareholders and due diligence professionals who discovered the frauds, including fabricated accounting and brazen misrepresentations, and subsequently shorted the stock in order to bring about the collapse of the entities which often led to class action lawsuits, NASDAQ delistment, and SEC deregistration. [2] [3] [4]

Synopsis

After the financial crisis of 2007–2008, as investment firms in the United States look for ways to improve clients' investment performance while earning money for themselves, they chance upon the idea of selling opportunities to unsuspecting Americans who want to get rich by participating in the "China growth story" but do not know much about the country or its companies. [5] They do so by getting small nondescript Chinese companies (like Orient Paper and Advanced Battery Technologies (ABAT)) to do reverse mergers with defunct American companies (like Buffalo Mining) and thus get listed in the NYSE overnight. [6] The hype that accompanies this is aided by paid guest appearances by the likes of Bill Clinton and Henry Kissinger at so called "investment conferences" organized by B-level investment firms (Roth Capital is one such firm featured in the documentary), thus adding a garb of respectability and reliability. [7] The stocks of these companies see spikes, investment firms goad their investors into buying them, siphoning off brokerages on the way. When the prices of these stocks crash to their real value, unsuspecting savers are left holding large amounts of worthless stock in their 401(k)s. [8]

The documentary investigates the collusion that occurred from 2008 to 2016 between second and third-tier US-based Wall Street investment firms such as Roth Capital Partners [9] and small companies based in China. Most of the companies featured in the film were listed in NYSE through reverse mergers. [10] The film reveals that the actual revenues of Chinese firms (reflected in their filings with Chinese government entities) were typically one-tenth of what was filed with the SEC. [11] Subsequent to investigations, most of the firms were de-listed from the NYSE, resulting in losses of billions of dollars to US investors. [12]

Information on the frauds was published in Chinese newspapers in 2010, including the online edition of Sina, but American investors were unaware of these as the articles were mostly in Chinese. [13] Subsequently, the small research and investment firm Muddy Waters published translations of the Sina reports, but they did not receive much attention. [14]

The film concludes with a closing sequence that highlights the continued lack of regulatory oversight in Chinese securities fraud. Out of approximately 400 Chinese companies, only one CEO went to jail for fraudulent reverse mergers. The film also suggests that Alibaba Group's and other existing Chinese firms' claims of high growth rates might be just as fraudulent.

Interviews

The documentary features interviews with investment bankers, whistleblowers like Dan David, who, after reading reports by the due diligence firm Muddy Waters Research, decided to short many hyped up penny stocks based in China. [15] It also features interviews with journalists from Wall Street Journal and New York Times , Mitchell Nussbaum, the lawyer from Loeb & Loeb who represented the Chinese firms featured in the film, the investment banker who sold shares and issued "buy" recommendations on these stocks to his clients, retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark, who was chairman of Rodman & Renshaw, another firm selling these stocks, and Paul Gills (a professor at Peking University). [16] The documentary shows the issues that crop up when large accounting firms like KPMG and Price Waterhouse Coopers sign off audit reports done by their affiliates in China, which may not have completely been verified, but is the system that is followed by all large accounting firms across the world. [17]

Reception

The film premiered in 2017 at the Toronto Film Fest and was released on DVD and shown at the International Finance Centre in Hong Kong in April 2018. [18]

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film rating of 74% based on reviews from 27 critics. [19] [20] Mark Hughes, a contributor at Forbes called it "the most important film of the year". [21] [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creative accounting</span> Euphemism referring to unethical accounting practices

Creative accounting is a euphemism referring to accounting practices that may follow the letter of the rules of standard accounting practices, but deviate from the spirit of those rules with questionable accounting ethics—specifically distorting results in favor of the "preparers", or the firm that hired the accountant. They are characterized by excessive complication and the use of novel ways of characterizing income, assets, or liabilities, and the intent to influence readers towards the interpretations desired by the authors. The terms "innovative" or "aggressive" are also sometimes used. Another common synonym is "cooking the books". Creative accounting is oftentimes used in tandem with outright financial fraud, and lines between the two are blurred. Creative accounting practices are known since ancient times and appear world-wide in various forms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KPMG</span> Multinational professional services and accounting company firm

KPMG International Limited is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations, along with Ernst & Young (EY), Deloitte, and PwC. The name "KPMG" stands for "Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler". The initialism was chosen when KMG merged with Peat Marwick in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pump and dump</span> Form of securities fraud

Pump and dump (P&D) is a form of securities fraud that involves artificially inflating the price of an owned stock through false and misleading positive statements (pump), in order to sell the cheaply purchased stock at a higher price (dump). Once the operators of the scheme "dump" (sell) their overvalued shares, the price falls and investors lose their money. This is most common with small-cap cryptocurrencies and very small corporations/companies, i.e. "microcaps".

Penny stocks are common shares of small public companies that trade for less than one dollar per share. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) uses the term "Penny stock" to refer to a security, a financial instrument which represents a given financial value, issued by small public companies that trade at less than $5 per share. Penny stocks are priced over-the-counter, rather than on the trading floor. The term "penny stock" refers to shares that, prior to the SEC's classification, traded for "pennies on the dollar". In 1934, when the United States government passed the Securities Exchange Act to regulate any and all transactions of securities between parties which are "not the original issuer", the SEC at the time disclosed that equity securities which trade for less than $5 per share could not be listed on any national stock exchange or index.

A reverse takeover (RTO), reverse merger, or reverse IPO is the acquisition of a public company by a private company so that the private company can bypass the lengthy and complex process of going public. Sometimes, conversely, the public company is bought by the private company through an asset swap and share issue. The transaction typically requires reorganization of capitalization of the acquiring company.

<i>Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room</i> 2005 documentary film by Alex Gibney

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is a 2005 American documentary film based on the best-selling 2003 book of the same name by Fortune reporters Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, who are credited as writers of the film alongside the director, Alex Gibney. It examines the 2001 collapse of the Enron Corporation, which resulted in criminal trials for several of the company's top executives during the ensuing Enron scandal, and contains a section about the involvement of Enron traders in the 2000-01 California electricity crisis. Archival footage is used alongside new interviews with McLean and Elkind, several former Enron executives and employees, stock analysts, reporters, and former Governor of California Gray Davis.

James Steven Chanos is an American investment manager. He is president and founder of Kynikos Associates, a New York City registered investment advisor focused on short selling. A noted art collector, he appeared on the BBC Four documentary The Banker's Guide to Art.

Securities fraud, also known as stock fraud and investment fraud, is a deceptive practice in the stock or commodities markets that induces investors to make purchase or sale decisions on the basis of false information. The setups are generally made to result in monetary gain for the deceivers, and generally result in unfair monetary losses for the investors. They are generally violating securities laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microcap stock fraud</span> Form of securities fraud

Microcap stock fraud is a form of securities fraud involving stocks of "microcap" companies, generally defined in the United States as those with a market capitalization of under $250 million. Its prevalence has been estimated to run into the billions of dollars a year. Many microcap stocks are penny stocks, which the SEC defines as a security that trades at less than $5 per share, is not listed on a national exchange, and fails to meet other specific criteria.

Andrew Edward Left is an activist, short seller, author and editor of the online investment newsletter Citron Research, formerly StockLemon.com. Under the name Citron Research, Left publishes reports on firms that he claims are overvalued or are engaged in fraud. Left is known for advising investors on short selling and has often appeared on various media outlets such as CNBC and Bloomberg to talk about his opinions on stocks. In 2017, Left was called 'The Bounty Hunter of Wall Street' by The New York Times. Left gained further notoriety following his announced short of GameStop, precipitating a short squeeze that has hurt him and other short sellers in the short term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muddy Waters Research</span> American stock market research company and investment firm

Muddy Waters Research LLC is an American privately held due diligence based investment firm that conducts investigative research on public companies while also taking investment positions that reflect their research. It has exposed accounting problems and fraud at several companies, primarily in China but also in other countries in Asia, Europe and North America.

Carson Block is an American investor and the founder of Muddy Waters Research. He is known for documenting and alleging fraudulent accounting practices in publicly traded Chinese companies.

Pine River Capital Management is an American asset management firm based in Minnetonka, MN. The firm traded its investors funds using stocks, fixed income, derivatives and warrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fintech</span> Subset of technologies used in finance

Fintech, a clipped compound of "financial technology", refers to firms using new technology to compete with traditional financial methods in the delivery of financial services. The use of smartphones for mobile banking, investing, borrowing services, and cryptocurrency are examples of technologies designed to make financial services more accessible to the general public. Fintech companies consist of both startups and established financial institutions and technology companies trying to replace or enhance the usage of financial services provided by existing financial companies.

Louis Tung Jung Hsieh is a Chinese businessman and lawyer and the global chief financial officer (CFO) and director of Hesai Group, a company supplying three-dimensional light detection and ranging (LiDAR) solutions. Hsieh joined Hesai as CFO in April 2021 and became a director in June 2021. He helped take the company public on Nasdaq in February 2023, with an initial public offering (IPO) that was oversubscribed by approximately 20 times.

Dan David is an American investor, activist short-seller and whistle-blower. He is the founder of New York-based Wolfpack Research, a financial research and due diligence investigation firm that was started in 2019 with support from short-seller Muddy Waters Research. In the fall of 2017, David and his work as a whistle-blower and China expert were the focus of the documentary film The China Hustle, which depicts how fraudulent Chinese companies stole billions of dollars from U.S. investors and retirees. In 2018, David was the Republican candidate for congress in Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District, which includes Montgomery and Berks counties. He is the host of the "I Hung Up On Warren Buffett" podcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Early 21st-century Chinese reverse mergers</span> Aspect of Chinese economic history

Chinese reverse mergers within the United States are accountable for 85% of all foreign reverse mergers in the early 21st century. A reverse merger, also known as a reverse takeover, is where a private company acquires a publicly traded firm or "shell company" that has essentially zero value on a registered stock exchange.

Luckin Coffee Inc. is a Chinese coffee company and coffeehouse chain. It was founded in Beijing in 2017. As of March 2023, it managed 9,351 stores which include 6,310 self-operated stores and 3,041 partnership stores. On June 5, the total Luckin coffee store number reached 10,000. Monthly active customer numbers reached 500 million in June 2022. The company operates shops, stores, and kiosks that offer coffee, tea, and food. Customers need to download an app to order and pay for drinks online. Luckin is currently headquartered in Xiamen. Luckin Coffee quickly expanded over the years and outnumbered the number of Starbucks stores in China by 2019.

Hindenburg Research LLC is a U.S. investment research firm with a focus on activist short-selling founded by Nathan Anderson in 2017. Named after the 1937 Hindenburg disaster, which they characterize as a human-made avoidable disaster, the firm generates public reports via its website that allege corporate fraud and malfeasance. Companies that have been the subjects of their reports include Adani Group, Nikola, Clover Health, Block, Inc., Kandi, and Lordstown Motors. These reports also feature defenses of the practice of short-selling and explanations of how short-sells can "play a critical role in exposing fraud and protecting investors."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KE Holdings</span> Chinese real estate platform

KE Holdings Inc. is a publicly listed Chinese real estate holding company that engages in the provision of an integrated online and offline platform for housing transactions and services through its subsidiaries. It is the largest online real estate transaction platform in China.

References

  1. "China hustle is the most important film of the year". Forbes. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  2. "The China Hustle warns of dicey investments". New York Times. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  3. "Philly investor is a documentary film star on 'The China Hustle'". Philly.com. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  4. "Official website - The China Hustle". Official we3bsite for the film The china hustle/. Magnolia pictures. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  5. Gills, Paul. "The China Hustle (cameo)". China accounting blog.
  6. "Oh what a tangled web we weave". Muddy waters. Muddy waters research. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  7. "Chinese newspapers investigate ONP". muddy waters. Muddy waters research. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  8. "Complete list - Research reports by Muddy Waters". Website of muddy waters research. Muddy waters research. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  9. "Jed Rothstein's The China Hustle pulls back the curtain on a new ticking time bomb in the financial markets" . Retrieved 2018-05-19.
  10. Tobias, Scott (11 September 2017). "Film review - The China Hustle". Variety. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  11. "One billion Chinese people cannot be wrong" (PDF). Sina. 22 July 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  12. "Why 'The China Hustle' is a finance documentary all U.S. investors need to see". Market watch. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  13. "机构称东方纸业伪造资产总值等多项数据". Sina. 10 September 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  14. "Financial Fraud in USA using the name of fly by night Chinese companies". 21st century business herald. 21 July 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  15. "'China Hustle' is a wonky deep dive into short-selling". Pioneer Press. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  16. Alpert, Bill; Norton, Leslie (28 August 2010). "Beware this Chinese export". Barrons. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  17. Gillis, Paul. "KPMG in deep trouble in Hong Kong". China Accounting Blog. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  18. "Spring season 2018 releases". Stranger than fiction. 5 April 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  19. "Rating - The China Hustle". Rotten tomatoes movie ratings. Rotten tomatoes. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  20. Hassania, Tina (20 April 2018). "Movie review - The China Hustle". Roger Ebert. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  21. Block, Carson (13 March 2018). "Yes, China Does Cheat In Trade - The Rest Of The World Needs To Wake Up". Forbes. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  22. Highes, Mark (30 March 2018). "Review: 'The China Hustle' Is The Most Important Film Of 2018". Forbes. Retrieved 28 May 2018.